How excited are the Raiders for next Monday night?

Good Afternoon, Broncos fans! With their 41-23 demolition of the host Giants, the Broncos have sent another emphatic message to the rest of the league.

That is: We can kick all of your asses, even without our two best defensive players.

Denver has now scored 90 points and allowed 50, for a points differential of +40. Green Bay is a distant second in scoring, with 66 points, while Seattle is second in differential at +31.

PFR's SRS has Denver at +21.1, Seattle second at +17.1, and New England a distant third at +12.8.

Of course, the Broncos have reached this point while having faced two of their presumed toughest opponents. Remember how every handwringer out there had Denver looking at 2-2 after four weeks without Von Miller?

Admittedly, I was among those who thought the absence of Von would cause Denver some problems (I should add that TJ was decidely not a part of that crowd).

And no, my thinking wasn't that the Broncos would only beat the last two SB champs by an average of 20 points with their best defender sitting at home (we're assuming he wasn't out driving, but one never knows).

Next up for Denver?

The Oakland Raiders come to town for a Monday Night thrashing. Would it surprise anyone if the Broncos were to double their points differential next week?

At least the Raiders will enter the game on something of a high, as much as one can be proud of a 19-9 home win over the hapless Jaguars. It was such a riveting affair that an Orlando station essentially apologized for televising the game rather than Broncos/Giants.

But their excitement about being at .500 is tempered by the massive loss of safety Tyvon Branch to a fractured fibula. Obviously, Branch won't play on Monday - the real question is whether he'll be back in time for the Week 17 rematch. Our guess is that's a no.

As for the rest of the AFCW, Kansas City moved to 2-0 with a narrow 17-16 victory over the Cowboys at Arrowhead; Alex Smith threw two more touchdown passes, giving him four for the year against no interceptions. The Chiefs head to the City of Brotherly Love next week, where Andy Reid figures to receive a hearty welcome.

San Diego also won a tight affair, 33-30 over the Eagles in Philly, as former friend Eddie Royal continued his tear with three touchdown catches. That makes for five on the season, or five times as many touchdowns as he scored in his first season witht he Chargers. The Bolts will visit Tennessee next Sunday.

Broncos

Peyton met with the sons of the late Frank Tripucka, who had so graciously allowed Manning to don his retired #18 jersey in Denver.

Tony Dungy says the Broncos offense can still improve from here, as Peyton Manning becomes better acquainted with Wes Welker.

Jeff Legwold continues to suggest the Broncos have a lot of issues to address.

Rest of the AFC

Houston is 2-0 after an electric 30-24 overtime win at home over the Titans. DeAndre Hopkins caught the winning score in OT after Texans kicker Randy Bullock clanged the potential game-ender off the upright to end regulation.

Miami improved to 2-0 after winning 24-20 at Indy, as Ryan Tannehill & Co. avenged their 2012 loss to Andrew Luck and the Colts.

It's hard to say this is a huge rebound from their thrashing by Denver in Week 1, but the Ravens evened their record by beating the visiting Browns14-6.

Buffalo topped Carolina24-23 on a last-second touchdown pass set up by Ron Rivera's passing on the opportunity to seal the game with one of the NFL's most effective short-yardage runners (Cam Newton).

NFC

Seattle stifled San Francisco, getting three touchdowns from Marshawn Lynch and forcing five takeaways in a 29-3 beatdown.

Green Bay trounced Washington38-20 as Aaron Rodgers exploded with 480 yards and four touchdowns. RG3 was good for 320 yards and three scores in a losing effort, but Dungy actually suggested on national television that Washington may be better off with Kirk Cousins at the controls.

Garrett Hartley kicked a 27-yarder at the gun to give New Orleans a 16-14 victory at Tampa, where Josh Freeman is said to be demanding a trade out from under noted dickhead Greg Schiano. But as with Rivera and the Panthers, there's a good chance Hartley never gets that opportunity if Schiano had any balls or brains.

The Falcons and Rams are each 1-1 after Atlanta's 31-24 home triumph; Matt Ryan threw two touchdowns, while Sam Bradford had three.

Jay Cutler capped off a typical Jay Cutler game (three touchdowns, three turnovers) with a last-minute drive to lead Chicago to a 31-30 win over the visiting Vikings.

Arizona and Detroit are also each 1-1 following the Cardinals' 25-21 home win.

News

The No Fun League is looking to cut down on cussing amongst players, because the league and its fans are such delicate flowers.

New England WR Danny Amendola reportedly has torn hip muscles that may require surgery and cost him a month's time; Carolina lost S Charles Godfrey for the season with a torn Achilles.

The league may suspend Bucs safety Dashon Goldson for his head-to-head hit on Saints RB Darren Sproles.

Orange Julius day-to-day with knee strain; Moore recovering from surgery; Walden and Goldson each banned for a game

i live in alaska, and u would think that we would be a seattle centric area, what with seattle being the closest team, but thats not so, if i can count up all the games that have aired on television over the years its hands down broncos and by a huge margin. during the super bowl years every broncos game was televised. if the broncos are a good team in a year, u can expect to see them on tv, however, like with the 4-12 year, i think they only aired maybe 4 games. all in all im happy to live in an area that shows nearly every denver game. even tho denver like like 3700 miles away or something :D

Posted by Troy Fairclough on 2013-09-17 01:20:44

The French always love the underdog. Like the US against the British in the "revolutionary" war. Or the Iraqis vs the US. Or the US vs the Syrian establishment.

Posted by iamafreeman on 2013-09-16 20:14:56

It must be great to have a blog like that and just totally make up crap.

Posted by billyricky on 2013-09-16 18:51:47

At least cheap-shot-artist Richard Seymour isn't playing anymore.

Posted by billyricky on 2013-09-16 18:48:17

Those first 6 games under Orton and McDaniels were kind of fun. Denver's offense was terrible, but they still won. Little did we know what was to come.

Posted by billyricky on 2013-09-16 18:47:24

He means 2009, when Russell came of the bench and the Raiders won (in Denver), when McDaniels was coach.

Posted by billyricky on 2013-09-16 18:43:38

Not since JeMarcus retired. Amazing how he punked the Broncos.

Posted by billyricky on 2013-09-16 18:31:42

I hear you - I'm in Portland, and it seems we're a designated Seattle market. No problem now, but when Seattle was in the AFC (and mostly had lousy teams), they were always shown instead of Denver or the best game of the week. This went on through all the Elway years in Denver.

Posted by billyricky on 2013-09-16 18:28:09

That would be Freedom Fries, no? Funny that the whole anti-France thing started because they didn't support the knuckleheaded (in my opinion) war in Iraq.

Posted by billyricky on 2013-09-16 18:18:40

Five of those Westboro yokels showed up here in Bozeman MT picketing *schools* last week. Locals reacted by staging one of the largest gay rights / anti-hate assemblies Montana has ever had ... and free ice cream.

Posted by broncosmontana on 2013-09-16 18:08:02

Choosing Jacksonville over Baltimore remains mystifying. The only thing that makes sense is that Modell used his influence to sink Baltimore since it was both his leverage and fall back plan in negotiations with the city of Cleveland. No matter what, the comparative treatment of Baltimore and Cleveland by the NFL after they lost a team is disgusting. The league is lucky that the Baltimore fan base never lost their passion for the sport (The CFL Stallions drew 30K+ in each of their two years in the city prior to the Browns relocation). I think there is a chance that the people of Seattle might not be so enthusiastic if/when the NBA decides to return, especially if the Seahawks continue their recent success and given the popularity of the MLS team.

Posted by MattR on 2013-09-16 17:23:43

I think it sounds like the memoirs of a young holocaust victim, as in "The Diary of Lisfranc."

It´s utterly ridiculous that a league that let the Patriots get away with Spygate and keeps Ndamukong Suh on the field no matter what is concerned about minor cussing in the heat of the moment.

Posted by Goéland on 2013-09-16 17:11:59

Those kind of letdowns don´t happen to Peyton Manning´s teams. Between 2003 and 2009, he had 7 consecutive season of 12+wins, which had never been done in the NFL, and shows exactly how focused he and his teammates are on the next game only. Decker said it well the other day: to him, every game is the Super Bowl. The only thing that can put a damper on the Broncos´ season (now that Von´s mom and dad are living with him) is injuries.

Posted by Goéland on 2013-09-16 17:08:12

Bummer of an injury. Even sprains will have him out 2 months and then require time to get back in football shape. There can be no weight bearing at all for the first 6-7 weeks since the midfoot takes most of the stretching when weight is applied. Probably worse in a man of his size.

Posted by DocPonderosa on 2013-09-16 16:54:21

Want some fries with that?

Posted by Alaskan on 2013-09-16 16:53:59

I'll miss him, but I feel really good about the team infrastructure and its prospects for the future.

Posted by Yahmule on 2013-09-16 16:38:16

I think it was more about the league and its advertisers making a conscious decision to market their athletes over their teams. This is what turned the NBA irrevocably into a players league and ruined it, IMO.

Posted by Yahmule on 2013-09-16 16:36:59

Gonna suck the day he stops playing for us.

Posted by John Tomasik on 2013-09-16 16:29:13

So, Peyton has to stick around until 2017 (no objections) for Eli to get another crack at him. 0-3 is a mighty big symbolic titty twister to have to live down forever.

Posted by Yahmule on 2013-09-16 16:21:12

The Dolphins not only get outdrawn in live attendance, the Jaguars beat them in television ratings, too.

Look at this ratings graph from last season. This game against the Dolphins and Seahawks drew a 15.0 rating in Miami, the worst rating of any market being measured. The same game drew a 27.1 rating in Seattle. The Lions/Texans game being televised in Philadelphia even had better ratings.

I don't believe the Jaguars should have ever been brought into existence. Three Florida teams is arguably three too many and putting a team in Jacksonville the same year they put one in Carolina defied all logic. That said, Jags fans take tons of abuse, but they're no worse or more fair weather than at least a third of the fan bases in the league.

The bottom line is in the numbers and the Jaguars only averaged about 1500 fewer fans per game than the vaunted Steelers last season.

With Orton it always felt like we were getting lucky or sneaking away with a win. Now it just feels like we are dominating. It is much more fun.

Posted by Truman Jensen on 2013-09-16 16:12:38

Clark signing through 2015 surely makes him the backup tackle. I have never seen him doing anything very positive so lets home Clady heals up in time for Philly.

Posted by RyanHennigan on 2013-09-16 16:10:37

I had to laugh out loud at that incident and even had to interrupt my wife to tell her about it. She was unimpressed, but I thought it was funny. Clear as day "Oh, shit!" I like how the announcers are pretty stone-faced and just ignore it. I'd have laughed audibly if it had been me.

Posted by Jason Chestnut on 2013-09-16 16:08:40

Awesome.

Posted by John Tomasik on 2013-09-16 16:08:36

Orlando is designated a secondary market for Jacksonville, hence the NFL requirement that the local CBS affiliate carry all away games (and all non-blacked out home games?). As far as fan-bases go, my admittedly non-scientific opinion is that there are probably more Bucs and Dolphins fans here than Jags fans, but there are a fairly healthy number of Jags fans, too.

It sucks royally for those of us who are not fans of any of the three teams, because it takes a scheduling miracle for there to be an open time where the Broncos (or almost anyone else) can be shown in lieu of one of the three 'local' teams. To make matters worse, it almost feels like the NFL intentionally schedules the three Florida teams so that they can all be shown in one of the three TV slots on Sundays with no conflicts. I'm almost always stuck with only prime-time national games or finding a sports bar if I want to see the Broncos play.

Posted by Jason Chestnut on 2013-09-16 16:06:11

yes this is more my worry, too. i am willing to bet Broncos use that two TE set that worked so well yesterday, give Clady's sub an extra hand.

Posted by underdog on 2013-09-16 16:02:45

Keep in mind the worry is if the Broncos team overlooks the Raiders. How we fans feel will have no effect on the outcome. ;)

Posted by underdog on 2013-09-16 16:02:11

"perhaps his best hope is in his Zombies pressuring the Jaguars Westboro Baptist Church-style to sign him."

God hates Jags

Posted by Prater2Beadles4Six on 2013-09-16 15:53:48

I don't worry that we'll lose. I worry that without Clady, they'll take a shot at Peyton and turn a meaningless game into our worst nightmare.

Posted by Justin Weber on 2013-09-16 15:52:28

I used to "BPM" (Before Peyton Manning, in our Broncos Holy Calendar....Amen).

Posted by John Tomasik on 2013-09-16 15:51:48

That's where a team's history comes in. Fans may not want to pay to see their team when they suck, but they will pay attention to it and watch it even in the lean years. JAX has nothing in terms of history like Miami or TB.

Posted by magster on 2013-09-16 15:49:44

The Jags outdrew the Dolphins and Bucs during last year's disastrous season. They finished 20th in attendance overall. The NFL's dirty little secret is paid attendance overall has declined steadily for the last five years. This is why you have so many stadiums trying to replicate the home viewing experience in the form of giant televisions, wifi and even opulently appointed sports lounges within stadiums.

Posted by Yahmule on 2013-09-16 15:46:33

True. There is no hotter hippie chick than Liz Franc.

Posted by magster on 2013-09-16 15:45:24

That kind of thinking about the Oakland Raiders chances next week is exactly the kind of thing that can get us into trouble. We made a good number of mistakes in both of the last games, so a loss of focus could kill us in a game that should otherwise be an easy win. I don't worry about the big teams, I worry about the little teams that we should easily crush.

Posted by Steve Stearns on 2013-09-16 15:45:08

I'm more worried about who is replacing Clady while he's out. :( Clark?)

This other situation is a Good Problem to Have.

Posted by underdog on 2013-09-16 15:44:54

Love how this team looks thus far - this season has been fun and feels better than Kyle Orton was at 6-0. Optimistic for the rest of the schedule as well - want this same level of confidence and dominance come week 17 vs. week 3. Stay healthy my Bronco friends!

Posted by iowabronco on 2013-09-16 15:43:50

it actually sounds like an indie folk singer to me.

Posted by underdog on 2013-09-16 15:42:58

Eh, that historical approach isn't worth much. The Broncos have changed a lot since three seasons ago. Personally, I'm not too worried about the Faiders here at Mile High. I'm hoping only that the Broncos get/stay healthy. Maybe they can stretch the lead and be comfortable enough to put Wait-a-whiler in for the last couple series.

Posted by John Tomasik on 2013-09-16 15:36:39

Nope. I voted it down myself.

Posted by AldenBrown on 2013-09-16 15:34:47

I'm kinda excited by SD and KC not totally sucking. Even Pryor's better than expected performance for OAK is good. What is a memorable NFL season without drama and villains?

Posted by magster on 2013-09-16 15:34:16

The NBA fantasy team phenomena is the weakest of the major sports. NBA's problem is from referees not being accountable and undermining the fans' beliefs in the game's integrity.

Speaking of...... the Baltimore game and yesterday's game were atrocious refereeing, with NY's almost game tying drive being totally ref-assisted. But, as the corrupt NBA ref Tim Donaghy said in an interview, refs can only do so much and a great team can beat bad refereeing.

The 2013-2014 Broncos = San Antonio in their championship years.

Posted by magster on 2013-09-16 15:32:35

*clears throat*

What is our divisional record since acquiring one PMFM?

*rests case*

Posted by RyanHennigan on 2013-09-16 15:28:19

I gotta admit that I didn't expect the Broncos O to put up the points they have (wasn't expecting a 45 point average), with the change at Center and the questions at RB. I'll be (happily) owing TJ a dinner (maybe he can invite Timmy T. to dine with him...lol), provided something weird doesn't happen next Monday night.

Was looking at the scores of the opposition, and both teams put up some points against the Broncos comparable to what they did against 'lesser' opponents. No doubt this is a team sport, and the offense's production has a big part of the wins, but I have to say I'm impressed how the secondary has been doing, even in the absence of Bailey. Will Cromartie shift to the other side of the field when/if Bailey comes back? Anyone know the plan?

Posted by John Tomasik on 2013-09-16 15:26:31

While I play and love FF - I do hate the player-centric nature it can produce. It's one of the reasons I rarely watch the NBA anymore.

I have no ill will toward players on other teams but when you leave the Broncos you lose part of my support or all it, if its to an AFC west team (sorry Royal you are dead to me)

Posted by Truman Jensen on 2013-09-16 15:24:46

Boss Bailey!! lol.

Well... at the time, I thought we were as invincible then as we are now. That is why they call me a fan, and not an analyst.

Posted by magster on 2013-09-16 15:22:11

OK, not always. But in the last three seasons, the Broncos are 3-3 against the Raiders. (And I think they're a much better team this season than they were last season.)

Posted by CompUser on 2013-09-16 15:20:28

Pretty sure I heard Eli use the F word off camera during a well-defensed out route yesterday. Just made me smile.

Posted by broncosmontana on 2013-09-16 15:18:52

NFL teams rely on regional support. When I was in Sioux City, we were force fed the Vikings and Chiefs even though both cities were a 6 hour drive away, and it worked. Sioux City IS a Chiefs and Vikings town (more Vikings). Denver is the team of Wyoming, Nebraska, and many other mountain west states. A team needs regional support.

That said, I do apologize for not initially recognizing that the story came from Orlando, not Jacksonville. I guess I have trouble differentiating one FL city I don't care about from another FL city I don't care about.

Posted by magster on 2013-09-16 15:18:18

UGH.

Posted by broncosmontana on 2013-09-16 15:15:52

Jeebus, you mean the 2008 team? That game at Mile High was his best career game, and the broncos' hilarious starting linebackers in the 2010 version (DJ in for Doom! Mario Haggan in the middle! Someone whose name we no longer know starting for Ayers!) had nothing to do with it. That was the last year of the schemelss, talentless, undersized Ds of Shanahan. Crap, didn't DeWayne Robertston, Nate wuzzisname and Boss Bailey AND Vernon Fox start that game? Oh God was it terrible.

Posted by Chibronx on 2013-09-16 15:15:34

Well, wait a minute. Orlando is absolutely not the natural hometown station for the Jaguars. Tampa is a lot closer to Orlando than the Jags are. There's also no natural fan base for the Jags in Orlando. People there tend to be transplants, who are fans of teams all over the country. They're definitely not driving 3 hours to see the sorry Jags play. I lived in Tallahassee until May, and I never, ever heard of anybody going to a Jags game. We actually had both the Jags and Bucs forced on us locally.

The issue here is the NFL's silly territorial TV mapping system. It gets to be a bit like congressional district drawing, where the NFL feels like it should carve out relatively even-sized territories upon which to force a specific team. Meanwhile, fans are getting to be less team-centric, and more player-centric. (Thank fantasy football.) You can really see that phenomenon in the NBA, and it's going that way in the NFL too.

Posted by Ted Bartlett on 2013-09-16 15:08:39

Wonder if Russell Wilson will get a stern talking to after his clearly audible "Oh Shit!" when the early snap hit him in the chest last night?

Posted by SCorn on 2013-09-16 15:07:39

JeMarcus' career highlights all occurred in the 4th quarter against an otherwise playoff Denver team. Kyle Orton and Josh McDaniels were both emotionally fired by Raiders at Denver.

Posted by magster on 2013-09-16 15:05:15

I found this. Not really what I was hoping to find:

Treatment

Stable Lisfranc injuries are treated nonoperatively. This involves relative immobilization in either a cast or a walking boot. Patients often need at least a 6-week period where they are either non-weightbearing or minimally weightbearing through the heel. In a stable injury, some or most of the midfoot ligaments are still intact, so a basic amount of healing is needed and then the patients can increase their activity level. However, even with a non-displaced injury, it is surprising how long the recovery can be!! The patients are still often symptomatic with pain and swelling 8-12 weeks (or even more) after their injury. A non-displaced injury is often thought to be a “foot sprain”. However, unlike an ankle sprain, which recovers relatively quickly, this can take a long time to heal.http://www.footeducation.com/l...

Posted by AldenBrown on 2013-09-16 15:03:37

Always? What about last year? (63-19 combined in two games)

Posted by Douglas Lee on 2013-09-16 15:02:58

The Raiders always scare me. They somehow seem to get their collective asses together and learn how to play football against the Broncos. So, although I'm pretty sure of a Denver win, I don't think it will be the cakewalk a lot of people think it will be. (The Raiders are a semi-professional football team after all.)

Posted by CompUser on 2013-09-16 14:57:44

I HATE it when a team's ownership leaves a city and loyal fan-base and storied history. I was very happy when Sacramento was able to keep the Kings and very angry when the Sonics went to OKC.

That said, when a franchise sucks, has no history (except for their epic upset of Denver 17 years ago), and the hometown station apologizes for televising the hometown game, it's time to bail and find a new environment. Time for Jacksonville Jaguars to be the LA Twerkers.